Gas turbines ready to run on renewables
Efforts to achieve carbon neutral electricity generation in Uniper's European power plant fleet continue. A recent example is the conversion to renewable fuel that has just been completed on the two gas turbines located in Malmö. “This is a first step; our goal is to convert all our Swedish gas turbines," says Power Plant Manager Mikael Nilsson.
Almost two years after the first test run of the renewable fuel Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, HVO100, the conversion is now fully completed and commissioned. This makes the two gas turbines in Malmö, with a total output of 126 megawatts, the first in the Swedish disturbance reserve, and in Uniper's entire gas turbine fleet, to be able to run on a fuel that drastically reduces the carbon footprint. The result is a CO2 reduction in the order of 90 per cent.
Project Manager Georgiana Plostinar is the one who has been organizing the work. “The project has been extensive, we have, among other things, needed to ensure that the plant can handle HVO100 without damage and that the fuel can be obtained in the volumes we want. Since we are the first in Uniper, and probably even the world, we have not been able to lean on or benefit from previous experience in this area, but we have received good support from the Making Net Zero Probable team, among others.”
The work has entailed a steep learning curve in the area of renewables, and with this newly acquired knowledge GT Nordics is now ready to get started with conversion at its other plants.
From fossil fuel to renewable
Uniper has nine gas turbines in Sweden. All are included in the so-called disturbance reserve. A resource that is under the responsibility of the TSO, Svenska kraftnät, and is in place to handle disturbances in the electricity system. The gas turbines generally have few operating hours per year but play a crucial role in the stability of the grid. The fuel previously used is diesel oil of fossil origin.
Power Plant Manager Mikael Nilsson is pleased to be ready to run G24 and G25 in Malmö on renewables but emphasizes that the HVO project still isn’t finished. “It feels good that we now have the first plant ready for HVO100. Going forward, we will work mostly in parallel with the remaining sites, first out is KVT G13 in Karlshamn and BVT G13 and G14 in Barsebäck. If everything goes according to plan, we will have converted all our Swedish gas turbines by 2025.”
Better environmental performance
So how big is the environmental benefit? The answer to this question is twofold - in one way very large, nine tenths of the CO2 emissions cease, in another way relatively small. That is because there are few operating hours on an annual basis. “We are talking about a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere of several hundred tonnes per plant and year. In addition, the values for dust and sulphur dioxides are better. For us, this is a major and important step in the right direction,” says Mikael Nilsson.
Towards net zero
As Uniper continues to work hard to achieve its goal of having a carbon-neutral power generation fleet in Europe in place by 2035, Ian Rogers, Head of Asset Improvement and Making Net Zero Probable, gives us a hint of what is to come. “Making Net Zero Probable (MNZP) is responsible for developing decarbonization options for Uniper. Our focus is across four key areas, hydrogen to power, carbon capture and storage, low carbon new build and lifetime extension and lastly green fuels.”
The green fuels workstream aims to decarbonize assets through fuel-switching and projects are ongoing in the gas turbines Uniper own and operate across Europe. This involves asset compatibility reviews to identify suitable fuels (Possible), completing pilot tests to understand the impact on key operating parameters (Probable) and finally building the business cases to integrate green fuels into business as usual (Profitable).
“The installation at Malmö is the first to reach the profitable stage and it is great to see the years of work culminate in successful implementation. Further projects are underway in Sweden, Germany and the UK to deliver the decarbonization of our OCGT fleet through green fuels and we hope to see several more of these implemented in the coming years,” says Ian Rogers.
